Thursday, July 13, 2017

Don't Join The Club

In explaining its reasoning, the committee cited the school’s “commitment to non-discrimination, inclusion, and a healthy social climate,” adding that the impact of the single-gender clubs “permeate[s] the fabric of campus culture.”

“As reflected in survey comments, these organizations directly and negatively influence the undergraduate experience for many students who are not themselves members of these organizations,” the committee’s report states. “The discriminatory practices of these organizations undermine our educational mission and the principles espoused by this faculty and distance their members from their college experience.”

The recommendation came from a committee created in March to determine whether new rules could make the Cambridge, Massachusetts, campus more inclusive.

If the policy is adopted by administration, students will be barred from participating in any sororities, fraternities, or other “exclusionary social organizations.” Those who do join any such organization will face “disciplinary action” from the administrative board.

As Harvard’s student-run newspaper, The Harvard Crimson, astutely pointed out: “The committee’s recommendations will likely draw heavy criticism from both alumni and undergraduates in social groups, who have repeatedly attacked the existing policy as overreaching and unnecessary.”